Commonly misused words and phrases

Or, to quote Inigo Montoya in The Princess Bride, "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."

"Possession is nine tenths of the law."

This phrase means that a huge proportion of our laws and legal proceedings are concerned with who owns what. For some reason, I typically hear this phrase used to mean something like "Physically possessing a thing trumps all other claims of ownership", e.g. a family member or friend takes your iPod, you ask to get it back, and he/she chortles, "Possession is nine tenths of the law" while playfully (at least you'd hope playfully) refusing to immediately return the item.

"To coin an expression..."

Coining an expression means inventing that expression, not quoting it! Perhaps somewhere along the line someone has used "to coin an expression" in a sarcastic or ironic sense, knowing they were clearly quoting an existing phrase, but joking as if they were freshly authoring the well-known adage. My impression, however, is that most people who say "to coin an expression" or "to coin a phrase" when they're really quoting, not coining, haven't a clue about the difference between coining and quoting.

"By hook or by crook" originated with reference to pruning hooks when picking things like apples. Apparently there were two features at the end of the pole, and if one didn't work, the other would.

Do you feel this phrase is misused? I wouldn't call a phrase "misused" because it's used poetically, not literally, in case that's your point. For this particular example, I wouldn't call any usage of the phrase outside the context of fruit picking "misuse".

It's basically meant to say "done by whatever means will work", and that's how it's generally used in my experience. Because of the other, more contemporary connotation of the word "crook", the phrase also takes on the sense "done by whatever means will work, including breaking rules, committing crimes, etc.". I wouldn't call that additional connotation misuse, however.

"Which begs the question..." often used to mean "Which raises the question..." which is incorrect. "Begging the question" is a form of logical fallacy in which a statement or claim is assumed to be true without evidence other than the statement or claim itself. When one begs the question, the initial assumption of a statement is treated as already proven without any logic to show why the statement is true in the first place.

Also...

"The proof is in the pudding." which just seems to be thrown out without much meaning, well because that statement doesn't really have any meaning. The original phrase is "the proof of the pudding is in the eating" makes much more sense.

Do you feel this phrase is misused? I wouldn't call a phrase "misused" because it's used poetically, not literally, in case that's your point. For this particular example, I wouldn't call any usage of the phrase outside the context of fruit picking "misuse".

It's basically meant to say "done by whatever means will work", and that's how it's generally used in my experience. Because of the other, more contemporary connotation of the word "crook", the phrase also takes on the sense "done by whatever means will work, including breaking rules, committing crimes, etc.". I wouldn't call that additional connotation misuse, however.

Mmmmm... maybe. Language is generally cheapened with the passing of time: "stink" and "odor" didn't originally convey the meanings they do now.

It's definitely a phrase that has been twisted from it's original meaning, regardless.

In our desire to impose form on the world we have lost the capacity to see the form that is there;and in that lies not liberation but alienation, the cutting off from things as they really are. --...

The correct phrase is, "Hear! Hear!" which is in reference to a supporter of a playwright shouting for other members of the audience to carefully take the time to comprehend exactly what is being said.

I loved The Dark Knight. Saw it once in a regular movie theatre and once in IMAX. But all these news articles saying TDK is the "third highest grossing film of all time" don't make sense because the articles don't adjust for ticket-price inflation. And I'm not sure why that's not the standard measure. It's only #49 by that measure.

I loved The Dark Knight. Saw it once in a regular movie theatre and once in IMAX. But all these news articles saying TDK is the "third highest grossing film of all time" don't make sense because the articles don't adjust for ticket-price inflation. And I'm not sure why that's not the standard measure. It's only #49 by that measure.

Whether it makes sense or not, "highest grossing film of all time" is correct terminology, and that is a figure that is kept record of.

When I listen to sports broadcasters they keep using the phrase "as good as anybody in the league" to highlight excellence when it highlights mediocrity.

"That Kobe Bryant can break down a man using a crossover as good as anybody in the league. That is why he is the MVP."

He is the average. That is why he is excellent.

It's a bit counter intuitive, but it does make sense, if you think about it. If you can do something as good as anybody, you are at the very least tied for the best, if not the best. People say, "as good as anybody in the league" to indicate they might not be the absolute best, but they're pretty much tied for the top spot.

One woman I work with says "pacifically" all the time. It's gotten so bad I have to keep for laughing when she says it.

Haha, that reminds me of "supposeably."

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I always get a chuckle when people say "that gives me heebie jeebies" without knowing what it really means.

Which means "A feeling of anxiety, apprehension or illness." How are these people using it when they use it incorrectly?

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I like to use "jerry-rigged" to which I always add "no offense to the germans".

Why would that be offense to germans? Origins of the word are British:

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Jerry-built, meaning to temporary or shoddy construction, dates to 1869. The OED2 hazards a guess that it may derive from the name of a builder who was notorious for poor construction. An 1884 source (unconfirmed) says that the phrase is in reference to a particular construction project on the Mersey River in Britain.

Why would that be offense to germans? Origins of the word are British:

Because during WWII, the Germans were referred to as 'Gerries' or 'Jerries' as a cultural slur, like calling the Japanese 'Japs' or 'Nips'. It's coincidentally similar, but some take offense at anything remotely close. (I've gotten screamed at for using the word 'niggardly', which has got jack-all to do with the N word. Oh, and apologies to any Jacks out there.)

Did you hear about that guy that got fired from the DC government for using using the word niggardly? He was asked how he would manage the budget for some department. He said, "very niggardly". By the time people were educated about the word it was concluded that he should have known that people would misconstrue his intention and so he was fired.

Did you hear about that guy that got fired from the DC government for using using the word niggardly? He was asked how he would manage the budget for some department. He said, "very niggardly". By the time people were educated about the word it was concluded that he should have known that people would misconstrue his intention and so he was fired.

I remember that. It struck me as a depressing example of mass stupidity. Once of those occasions where you keep waiting for the grownups to show up to explain things, and they never do.

They spoke of the sayings and doings of their commander, the grand duke, and told stories of his kindness and irascibility.